The present invention is directed to apparatus for disinfecting contact lenses, and more particularly to a disinfector apparatus, and more particularly still to a multiple station disinfector apparatus for effecting simultaneously the disinfection by heating of objects or devices held within a plurality of containers.
While the disinfector apparatus in accordance with the invention may find use for heat disinfecting over a broad range of applications, the description will be facilitated hereinbelow by specific reference to the problem of the disinfection of contact lenses. In particular, the soft or hydrophilic type of contact lenses must be disinfected by heating to assure destruction of bacteria. While heating devices for disinfecting individual pairs of lenses are generally known, one object of this invention is to provide a simple and reliable apparatus for simultaneously disinfecting a plurality of contact lenses. Such an apparatus is particularly useful in the fitting room of the eye care specialist wherein it is often desirable to have on hand a plurality of sample soft contact lenses for fitting purposes. In the lens fitting room, the soft contact lenses are interchanged to determine the proper fit for the patient. Accordingly, it is necessary to properly disinfect the sample lenses between such uses in fitting.
Heretofore, the only known means of disinfecting multiple lenses has been a sterilization process which requires the use of specialized bottles and a specialized capping process, not generally well-suited to the fitting room enviornment. Preferably, the disinfection is carried out with the soft contact lens disposed in a quantity of fluid within a suitable container, such as a glass vial or bottle-like container with a removable cap or closure. One problem encountered with the use of such glass vials or bottles is maintaining sufficient heat transfer from a heating element to the bottle to maintain the liquid therein at a proper temperature for assuring proper disinfection. Additionally, it is important to assure that the proper temperature is maintained for an adequate amount of time to assure disinfection.
Moreover, it is important to minimize the possibility of operator error by assuring correct time and temperature cycling of the disinfecting operation with minimal operator input. Ideally, suitable indicators should be provided to confirm to the operator that the process has been properly completed, to safeguard against interruptions in the process either by the operator or as a result of a power failure or the like.